Abd-al-baqi: Sayyid Baha's emissary sent to Kashan to propagandise for him.

Abd-al-Rahim: Mir Mulla Muhammad Jafar of Naraq’s messenger.

Azim: Author of the letter which evoked Baha's reply marked No. 1

Gulam-i Quds: A panegyric to Mulla Muhammad Jafar of Naraq in praise of Subh-i-Azal.

Hasan, Shaykh: Mulla Muhammad Jafar of Naraq's messenger

Jim, the letter: Mulla Muhammad Jafar of Naraq. He was one of the prominent BÂBi
leaders who remonstrated with Baha for his tendency to innovation during the early period of the BÂBi exiles' sojourn at Baghdad. Baha get angry and retired into voluntary exile in the northern Iraq where he spent two years. Mulla Muhammad Jafar of Naraq was a spiritual guide in the Kashan area in Iran.

Mirror: A spiritual guide.

Mustafa, Mirza: Baha's emissary sent to Kashan to propagandise for him.

Question and Answer: A tract composed by Mulla Muhammad Jafar of Naraq in A.H. 1278 (1861-2) at the request of members of his fold in which he set forth the reasons for strained relations between him and Baha.

To view facsimiles of Baha's lettter marked No. 1 please click here. The images are relativey large, please be patient with the down load.

Excerpts From The Letter
Facsimile of Baha's letter marked No. 1 in the collection, written by Baha nine years after his arrival at Baghdad in 1853 upon expulsion from Iran, when he allegedly declared himself to be Him-Whom-God-Will-Make-Manifest. See Baha's letter marked No. 46 in the collection written by Baha on the eve of his removal from Baghdad to Istanbul in 1863, when he allegedly declared himself to be Him-Whom-God-Will-Make-Manifest in the Ridvan at Baghdad.

Strictly speaking Baha's letter marked No. 1 ostensibly addressed to Azim in reply to a circular intended for the people of Bayan, in which Baha exculpates himself from charges of apostasy laid at his door.

Letter marked No. 1 runs into to the heading in the first page. The cyphers 152 prefixed to the heading in the first page represent the numerical value of the word Baha, with its Hamza omitted. The Sephers denote that the letter was drafted by Baha himself.

It begins : "In the Name of Our Lord, Al-Ali-Ala (The High, the Supreme, namely the Primal Point.

Excerpts from the letter: is an exordium in exaltation of the Bayan.

Baha refers to Azim's letter in which he describes as "teeming with calumnies against the Friends of God and al-Bayan with the fire of malice and hate, which no ocean can extinguish".
Baha "denies categorically having despatched two emissaries to swerve people from worshipping the Adored into worshipping an idol and false god."
Baha disenchants himself from, and expresses horror at the very thought of, the remarks to have been made to the two emissaries "On my behalf that the Bayan is abrogated, its mirrors are void, and its ordinances are a dead letter."
"I have no cause [of no my own to espouse], and I have no authority [to exercise] to require an emissary, or to call for a messenger, for implementation," Baha pleads in self-defence.
"Nine years have elapsed," Baha notes with plaintive tone, "since these servants were expelled from their earthly and corporeal homeland, relieved of all their possessions. I do not know how it was proved to the person (i.e. Azim) that these two men were in fact the emissaries of this servant," Baha poses a question.

For five years, Baha goes on to say, Mulla Ahmad [of Kashan] represented the letter Jim at Baghdad, to whom were ascribed certain undesirable statements, which Baha deemed it expedient to suppress, and the cause of which he was at a loss to understand at the time.
Baha then refers to the visit to Baghdad of the Letter Jim himself, "to whom was displayed the utmost loving kindness far above the norms and the established practice." actuated by a desire to cultivate further friendship, and to purify and sanctify the heart from the taint of unpleasantness."
Following his return, Baha states, "Mir Abd-al-Rahim and Shaykh Hasan came to Baghdad from Kashan, and Baha's attention was called to statement circulated by them and imputed to the letter Jim to the effect that "why do you go to Baghdad? One minute's stay here [i.e. Naraq] is more meritorious than five years [stay] at Baghdad." wherefrom Baha sent for them and forbade them to make such remarks.
In short Baha stresses, "any one who came from the region said something, and it became known that all those mischiefs are traceable to the emigration of people from their earthly home to the divine homeland [i.e. Baghdad]”.

Therefore Sayyid Abd-al-Baqi, who had been staying in the city, was sent back to that land (i.e. Neragh) to forbid people to come to this land [i.e. Baghdad] perchance hearts may be tranquillised, and the atmosphere of resentment may change into the morn of cheerfulness”.
“This land” Baha emphasises, “is not exclusive to this servant’s world that these people had respected the city of god and had revered the sacred territory of God, the land which appertains to their beloved, or is the place of ascent, descent and abode of their beloved.”

Baha dwells on the various meanings attached to ‘the abode of peace’ namely Baghdad, and observes : “in its exoteric aspect the abode of peace signifies the ? ? that most great day-star sit enthroned, and in its esoteric aspect the authoritative and the most righteous cause [i.e. the Bayani faith] “

Having accounted for the repatriation of one of his two emissaries [i.e. Sayyid Abd-al-Bari] Baha seeks to complain the repatriation of his second emissary “Mirza Mustafa” on, the ground that his dependent lived in Naraq and he had overstayed his sojourn at Baghdad. See Baha's letter marked number 46.

But “he was not charged”, Baha confirms “with any mission whatsoever on the part of this servant except with a letter given to him for delivery of the letter Jim”.

Baha adverts back to the statements attributed to his two emissaries that the authority of the Bayan has served or determined and its mirrors and ordinances are null and void”, dismisses these statements as farrago of lies, and as an eloquent proof of his loyalty to the Bayani faith, its founder Sayyid Ali Muhammad, the BÂB, the Primal Point and his successor Subh-i-Azal registers a solemn declaration couched in the following unmistakable terms:
“My tongue, my mind, my heart, my spirit, my flesh, my body, my brains, and my skin hereby testify that in truth there is no God but He, that Ali before Muhammad [i.e. Sayyid Ali Muhammad, the Primal Point] is the manifestation of his self, the manifestation of his self, the manifestation of his verses and the revealer of his word, whereunto bear witness dwellers of the Supreme Concourse, and beyond then the invisible essence with its tongue; and in truth we are all prostrate ourselves before his face [Wajh]; and all that which has been revealed on his part is indisputable truth; and verily we all the creation exist by his command.”

After inveighing against his accuser, Baha follows this solemn declaration with an invocation in which he prays God almighty “to lift me up to thee to abide in ‘the neighbourhood of my most great mercy by the side of thy name, Al-Ali-al-Ala [Ali, the high the Supreme, namely the Primal Point] whereby to relieve and assuage the hearts of your servants.”

Far from the grace of god (or under the curse of god), and in whit “I take god to witness that I have claimed nothing but sheer servitude, and I have summoned men to naught else but thy most High Essence in the manifestation of thy self Al-Ali-Al-Ala [The High the Supreme, namely, Sayyid Ali Muhammad, the Primal Point] and to the light [Nur] of thy of thy most splendid beauty … which constitute the articles of faith of this servant (P. 6 Line 2).”

Baha exhorts men who profess love and god not to wonder in the wilderness of heedlessness but to properly evaluate the times, so long as “the holy savours of the Eternal are wafting from the morning Zephyr” as a time will be return to the pavilions of the invisible.”

Baha then enters into polemics as to Ezekiel and others and gives a lengthy discourse therein.

Summing up of his discourse and arguments Baha says: “you and your likes have encroached upon the mirror of God, have delivered it from its station, and without the leave and permission of the king of the cause have set it in another direction.”

Taking strong exception for the contention Dha-al-Kafl answerable for seventy prophets Baha stresses: “the mirror which is the place of resting of the Sun of prophethood most needs exceed not one, you then can prophets who are the sun of the firmaments of mercy to seventy in number of one cycle and in one dispensation.

“I swear by God,” Baha places on record with firm conviction, “that if any one of the People of the Bayan were to mention that the Book [i.e. Bayan] is abrogated, may god smash the mouth of the speaker and the calumniator, and by him who holds my soul and myself in his hands one letter from the Bayan is the most loved with me than all that are in the heavens and on the earth.”

Harking back to the remanets attributed to Baha’s emissary, Mirza Mustafa and others to the effect that “why does he [i.e. the letter Jim] summon people unto the Primal Point Baha bursts out : in all fairness would any swine make such remarks? or would such “blasphemy and infidelity from the tongue of any one?”
With an oath of asseveration Baha himself answers his own question: ‘No, by God’.

Baha then speaks of the “Gulshan-i Quds“ submitted by the letter Jim to “the most holy court” and notes that it commended itself into acceptance by it.

Baha complain of reflections cast on “the land of God and its servitors” and goes on to state “how enemies within and without the BÂBi society lie the wait to hunt down gazelles of the desert of fidelity.

Baha refers to the letter Jim’s “Question and Answer’ which he condemns as a work calculated “to inspire doubts in hearts.” Once again Baha harks back to the remarks made by Mirza Mustafa and angers “Let no take for granted that such words - at the very thought of which we express horror did flow from the ignorant tongue of Mustafa. How has it been established that they were in fact from this servant?”

To seek an explanation for it did not however call for such verbosity or prolixity, Baha contends.
“When all in their houses were absorbed in pondering to their lusts and in safeguarding their wealth and position,” Baha registers with a sense of pride “these servants in a country of exile, the severity of enemies not withstanding, have collected together all that which has been revealed on the part of God, and all of them have been transcribed in the blessed handwriting [of Subh-i-Azal] and bound some of them we have sent to all regions.”
“We have guarded them with difficulty, and no one has knowledge of them save God.”

Baha exhibits resentments at his being placed on the same footing with the letter Jim. Baha registers a solemn declaration that “this servant is no bearer of any message save servitude.”
He thence of every communicator received by him from persons whom he brands as “malevolent” and “malicious” Baha notes with a sense of exasperation, harps on the note of his failure and inability to adduce proof of his pretensions.

Unable to match his anger in the presence of these statements, Baha in his riposte asseverates “After all, whom do they require to produce proof? And for what cause do they call for evidence & arguments?
If they demand proof and servitude they have reached the four corners of the world, And if they call for anything which I have none ………. die in your wrath O’ you rancorous people!”

Baha then places on record that “Him-Whom-God-Will-Make-Manifest is truth, about which there is no doubt and that god will make him manifest in the Mustaghath.”

In conclusion Baha alludes back to that most great day-star (supra) that sits enthroned in the abode of peace namely, Baghdad], and takes an oath in the following terms:
“I swear by god that this servant prides himself on the dust of the blessed feet of that most great day-star; and every ground is beloved by this servant because it is a place on which his blessed feet tread; and the air is the desire of this servant; because he inhales it; and also all the waters of the land, because he drinks from them.
I crave and hope that all existence will become the object of attention and consideration of that king of the invisible and the visible, and goodly it is said my ultimate goal is the earth under his feet and Baha’s body the ground on which he walks.
Notwithstanding this, I do not understand why such absurd tales are on the tongues and in mouth of these worthless wretches!”